The present invention relates basically to cylindrical containers, and more particularly to a display container a portion of which is formed from a transparent material so that the contents of the container may be readily inspected by a prospective purchaser.
Numerous forms of cylindrical containers have hitherto been proposed, including the use of various types of end caps to close the opposite ends of the cylindrical bodies. Normally, the container bodies are formed from rigid or essentially rigid tubes, such as spiral wound laminated tubing wherein a plurality of plies of paperboard stock are wound about a mandrel and adhered together as an incident of the winding operation. A spiral wound container does not afford visibility of the contents and has to be decorated by adding a separate printed label or covering wrapped around its body. In the case of molded or extruded transparent plastic tubing, while offering visible display of the contents, the tubing, if it is to be printed or decorated, requires individual printing using rubber plate printing techniques which do not provide sharp or distinctive images. In all cases, however, the cylindrical bodies are sufficiently rigid so that they cannot be collapsed for shipment or storage purposes.
In contrast to the foregoing, the present invention provides tubular display containers the bodies of which are formed as knocked-down flat-folded structures which form cylindrical or oval bodies when erected. In addition to the advantage of shipping the containers in flat condition, the invention provides distinct display and graphic advantages.